Night Walking
by Higuchimon
Summary: [au: canon divergence: Replacement Vampire #2] Halloween is a night for disguises, for pretending to be what you're not. Camula is no longer alone and doesn't want to pretend to be. But Kagemaru doesn't take resignations very well. In fact, he doesn't want to take hers at all.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  & Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Night Walking  
 **Characters:** Camula, Vamdemon, Darkness, Taniya  
 **Romance:** Camula x Vamdemon/Vamdemon x Camula  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,257|| **Story:** 1,257  
 **Genre:** Romance, Supernatural **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section H39, write a what-if scenario (what if Vamdemon arrived in the world of GX after his defeat in 02 episode 50); Written for the Halloween Trick or Treat Advent, day #22, write a crossover with a halloween theme; Written for the Word Counts Set Boot Camp, prompt #31, 9,539; Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, prompt #27, forbidden love  
 **Notes:** This takes place on Halloween of 2003, one year prior to Juudai attending Duel Academia.  
 **Summary:** Halloween is a night for disguises, for pretending to be what you're not. Camula is no longer alone and doesn't want to pretend to be. But Kagemaru doesn't take resignations very well. In fact, he doesn't want to take hers at all.

* * *

Halloween wasn't the longest night of the year, which was the night vampires loved the most as it allowed them to hunt for the most amount of time, but it was still one of their favorite nights. On this night, they could wander wherever they pleased and no one was surprised to see them or even bothered to look out for them all that much. No matter what they wore or what they did, they didn't stand out in any way, which made hunting so much easier.

But easier didn't mean they needed to be stupid about it, which was why Camula released her latest victim and dropped him onto the grass where he lay panting and gasping. He would be all right with time, assuming he took the effort to tend to himself. If he didn't, it wasn't her problem.

What mattered to her right now was the blue-eyed vampire who stood only a short distance away, releasing his own victim and licking his lips to get the last traces of blood away from them. He looked so much better than he had when they'd first crossed paths weeks earlier. A steady diet of good, strong human blood made so much of a difference.

"Delicious," Vamdemon said, strolling over to her and offering his arm. Camula accepted it with a content smile, enjoying the solid feeling of his existence next to her. He was like and unlike her, close enough so that she no longer felt any need to serve Kagemaru's interests, different enough to entice her in ways she'd never thought she could be before him.

"What else shall we do tonight?" she asked as they left the two still living bodies behind. In times past she would've let them lay where they were, dead or not. But anyone who spread tales of actual vampires on tonight of all nights would be considered to have simply had too much to drink. Even the bites could be explained away. She'd learned long ago that in these times, people did not want to believe in vampires. It made her life that much easier.

"Are you still hungry?" Vamdemon wanted to know. Camula considered it; she'd fed fairly well tonight, though the sun hadn't been below the horizon for a good hour or two as of yet.

"Not at the moment," she decided. Just because the world would mostly wave off anything tonight wasn't a good enough excuse to feed completely indiscriminately. "Why don't we just go for a walk?"

Vamdemon smiled, a sight that in other times and places may well have sent chills down the spine of whoever he was with. But Camula found it more than a little enticing. She almost wished that they'd found a way into his former world; it would be well worth any trouble to be able to take his enemies and bend them to his will.

She had no enemies here, none save the human race itself, and so long as she had Vamdemon, she didn't really want to make any other vampires. Not the slow way, not from humans. She didn't know if the two of them could have children of their own, not yet. Perhaps once they sorted that out. It would take time; they were still getting to know one another.

As they walked down the street arm in arm, they were accompanied by more people in costumes of every type. Camula wasn't even certain which city they were in, but it was clearly rich with people enjoying tonight and dressing up as people they never were and never could be. She even saw a few vampires, but they were all fakes. Even now that tugged at what heartstrings she had left, and only Vamdemon's presence kept her from lashing out at them.

"Perhaps when you're feeling like it, we could have a snack or two from them," he murmured, reading her thoughts as easily as if they had been printed on her skin. Camula's lips curved upward, her fangs gleaming in the streetlights.

"You do know how to show a lady a fascinating time, don't you?" She began to lean upwards, looking forward to the touch of her lips on his, when a familiar and unwanted voice spoke up.

"What do you know? There are more of you. Well, one more, anyway."

Vamdemon's hands pressed on her shoulders but she turned around anyway, knowing exactly what she would see when she did. And just as she'd guessed, there he stood, head to foot in black, a sharp-edged mask concealing his features, and a hint of a cocky smirk on his lips.

"Darkness." This was not how she wished her Halloween to go. This was to be a pleasant, wonderful time with her new beloved, not having to put up with Kagemaru's minions.

He tilted his head forward, smirk upgrading by a fraction. "Camula. And this is?"

Vamdemon kept his arms around her, staring at him with distaste and disinterest both. "Vamdemon, Lord of the Undead."

"Really." Darkness didn't even look remotely disturbed by that. "I am Darkness." He offered no titles or anything else. One of the many things that annoyed Camula about him during their short acquaintance was the fact he thought his existence should make up for not having a reputation.

What was even more annoying was how completely relaxed he looked at the moment. He lounged against the nearest wall, watching both of them.

"Exactly who is this, Camula?" Vamdemon wanted to know. She glanced from one of the other to them; it wasn't hard to figure out why Darkness was there, anymore than she would have wondered about Taniya or Abidos or even Amnael.

"This is Darkness. He works for my old employer, Kagemaru. And I suppose he's here because Kagemaru wants me to return." Camula's lip curled when she was done. "Which I have no intentions of doing."

Darkness leaned forward, eyes glinting behind his mask. "And why is that?"

"Because I have no reason to!" Camula spat the words at him, eyes flaring scarlet and furious. "I've found what I wanted and I didn't need him to do it." Her hand closed harder around Vamdemon's. "He can find someone else to duel for him. I'm not interested anymore."

Darkness shrugged, a simple rise and fall of his shoulders. "What you are or aren't interested in doesn't concern me. He wants you to come back. I suppose he wants your resignation to his face. I don't actually care. But he sent us to find you and now that I have, you're going to come back and explain all of that to _him_." He bared his teeth in something that wasn't even close to being a smile. "Bring your new friend along. I'm certain Kagemaru would love to make his acquaintance."

Camula held Vamdemon even closer. The way he said that did not ease her rage in the slightest. "I have nothing else to say to him." She was the Queen of the Vampires, even if she were the only one of her kind left in the world. She did not come and go at the whims of _humans_.

Vamdemon's arm tightened around her. He did not waste his time with threats, but delivered the coldest of cold looks to Darkness. "Leave."

"Oh, I don't think so." Darkness shifted to his feet. "I see you're going to make this _interesting_." Behind his mask, his eyes gleamed bright. "Thank you. I think I'm going to _enjoy_ this."

And then there was only laughter.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  & Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Night Walking  
 **Characters:** Camula, Vamdemon, Darkness, Taniya  
 **Romance:** Camula x Vamdemon/Vamdemon x Camula  
 **Word Count:** chapter 2: 1,276|| **Story:** 2,533  
 **Genre:** Romance, Supernatural **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section H39, write a what-if scenario (what if Vamdemon arrived in the world of GX after his defeat in 02 episode 50); Written for the Halloween Trick or Treat Advent, day #22, write a crossover with a halloween theme; Written for the Word Counts Set Boot Camp, prompt #31, 9,539; Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, prompt #27, forbidden love  
 **Notes:** This takes place on Halloween of 2003, one year prior to Juudai attending Duel Academia.  
 **Summary:** Halloween is a night for disguises, for pretending to be what you're not. Camula is no longer alone and doesn't want to pretend to be. But Kagemaru doesn't take resignations very well. In fact, he doesn't want to take hers at all.

* * *

Darkness liked darkness. It was only nature; it was what he was. But only certain _kinds_ of darkness qualified. He preferred not to think of another that existed somewhere else. In someone else.

But the darkness that Camula claimed? The darkness that this vampire boyfriend of hers exuded? That was _his_ kind of darkness, _his_ Darkness. It was him. It was the darkness of those who had no hope, who sought only to bring others down and to take their hope from them as well.

He loved it. He wanted more of it. It was only what was right, after all. He couldn't yet bring it to everyone, but it was there all the same, and he knew that if matters worked out the way he thought they might, then there would be a time when he _could_ bring it to everyone.

He reached into them to find that darkness, and all but hissed when he tasted something else there.

Hope. The desire for something more than revenge. This was not what he'd tasted the last time he and Camula crossed paths.

He did not like this in the slightest.

 _How?_ His awareness was annoyingly confined for the present to his human host and that host had neither the power nor the inclination to dig claws into the hearts and minds of others and find out their deepest fears and regrets. There were moments he regretted using this one, but the other one wasn't fully ready yet. This one hadn't needed nearly as much work, so he'd brought him into the mortal world again.

But the host offered something now, a single word floating up from the depths of Tenjoin Fubuki's sleeping consciousness, and Darkness examined it warily.

 **Love**.

Yes. Yes, that could very well be it, and he didn't like the idea at all. Love was one of those very annoying emotions that could push back his enveloping darkness and give people hope again. He'd seen it before. Not all that often; humans were interesting like that. But it had happened enough times so that he knew it _could_ happen.

He pulled his awareness back, the shadows that he'd called wrapping around him once again, fading away at his feet. Camula and Vamdemon stood before him, confused and clinging together. It made him nauseous just to look at.

He wasn't surprised at all to find his host almost cooing over them. At least the boy wasn't awake enough to actually talk about them. He knew how he thought well enough to guess what would be cooed over, how even the worst evil could find love if they looked in the right place.

Darkness enjoyed the presence of love and hope no more than he did light and laughter, and perhaps a bit less than he did the Gentle Darkness itself. He wanted nothing more than to extinguish all of those. The world would be so much better off without any of that.

His time would come. He promised himself that.

But now he stared at the two vampires and considered his options. There weren't that many of them. His power couldn't affect them, at least not as he was used to wielding it.

 _Perhaps a Duel of Darkness?_ Oh, he did like the sound of that. Camula would probably accept, and he didn't doubt that he could defeat her. He knew all of her tricks, after all. Her favorite with Phantom Demon's Gate wouldn't work on him at all. That required her opponent actually caring about someone who wasn't them.

Faint whispers of worry from his host made their way to him and Darkness pushed them away. That was not a thing that would happen tonight. Not at all.

"So it seems I need to choose another method to take you back," Darkness said, getting Camula's attention. She glared at him, head held high, eyes bright with anger. That was good; the anger would make her think less clearly. He enjoyed doing that to his opponents, to push them off balance, keeping them on the edge until he could find a way to toss them off.

"I'm not going back. You can tell Kagemaru that. It's all he needs to know." She started to turn around, reaching for her dearly beloved's arm.

Darkness appeared in front of her. He did not take such a plebeian way such as walking around her. He was simply there. He could be wherever the darkness was, and it was everywhere.

"Duel me," he said simply. "If you win, I'll return to Kagemaru with your message. If I win, then _you'll_ return to him with me." Honestly, he didn't see why she didn't just give it up and do that anyway. She might even get the chance to tear open Kagemaru's throat if she behaved herself.

Perhaps not; he did live in that life preserving tank. But if there were two of them, then they could destroy that as well. For that alone, he wished she'd return. He'd like to see them try. It would be fascinating beyond words.

But, as he'd expected, she gave him a look that might've resulted in the death of a mortal. "If you're so fixated on dueling, then I'll duel you and when I win, then _none_ of you will ever bother me again. That includes you, Taniya, Abidos, Amnael, Kagemaru, _and_ anyone else that he recruits. If they work for him, then they will not bother _me_."

Darkness shrugged. "As you wish." He didn't think it was something that he'd have to worry about that much.

Vamdemon looked from one of them to the other, one blond eyebrow cocked upward. "Duel?" A wealth of confusion lived in that single world. Darkness could scent the presence of a different world on him; not one of the twelve dimensions, though. If he were from one of those, then he would know full well what a duel was. But another frame of reality altogether.

That fascinated Darkness; if he had the chance, he really wouldn't have minded having a very long talk with the vampire about it. If he could find a way to cross to that world, then he could spread his despair and apathy to an entirely new reality, one where entities such as the Gentle Darkness – pesky foe of all that he was – and the Light of Ruin – competition; Darkness hated competition – existed.

He would look into finding out what he could after the duel. Perhaps it would give him and Vamdemon something to discuss while Camula explained to their so-called leader why she wasn't going to play along with his schemes anymore.

Camula's Duel Disk manifested from a swarm of bats that gathered around her arm. Darkness let his own slide in from the shadows. With a wave of one finger, which wasn't even necessary but he liked the effect of it, he enfolded all three of them in a cocoon of dark magic.

"Dueling is the preferred form of combat between warriors here," Darkness answered the vampire's question as he began to shuffle his deck. "There are other methods, but this one has been used for centuries in one form or another."

"And in this place and time, this is how we duel," Camula added in, shuffling her own deck. "You need not fear, beloved. I will finish this fool." She bared her teeth, but it didn't look like any smile Darkness had ever seen. So much the better. He didn't think it was the time for a smile.

"I look forward to seeing this," Vamdemon agreed, taking a step back so he would have a view of them both.

"Duel!"

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  & Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Night Walking  
 **Characters:** Camula, Vamdemon, Darkness, Taniya  
 **Romance:** Camula x Vamdemon/Vamdemon x Camula (also referred to past Piemon x Vamdemon)  
 **Word Count:** chapter 3: 1,272|| **Story:** 3,805  
 **Genre:** Romance, Supernatural|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section H39, write a what-if scenario (what if Vamdemon arrived in the world of GX after his defeat in 02 episode 50); Written for the Halloween Trick or Treat Advent, day #22, write a crossover with a halloween theme; Written for the Word Counts Set Boot Camp, prompt #31, 9,539; Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, prompt #27, forbidden love  
 **Notes:** This takes place on Halloween of 2003, one year prior to Juudai attending Duel Academia.  
 **Summary:** Halloween is a night for disguises, for pretending to be what you're not. Camula is no longer alone and doesn't want to pretend to be. But Kagemaru doesn't take resignations very well. In fact, he doesn't want to take hers at all.

* * *

Vamdemon was by no measure an idiot, at least not when he was in his preferred Perfect form. He would be the first to – reluctantly in truth – admit that if he evolved to Ultimate, then he tended to unleash only raw power and not think of how to properly plan for his enemies. That had led to his defeat twice now, and was why he decided that he would not seek to evolve further again, not unless he could find a way that would ensure he retained his sense of strategy and cunning. Piemon had done it, so it couldn't be all that difficult, could it?

Though for now, the thoughts of evolution and revenge upon his enemies – which he would have one day, he did not doubt in the slightest – had been set to the side in favor of exploring this new world he'd found himself in. Exactly why he'd resumed his Perfect form he didn't know, but he savored the strength he could gather, and flung himself fully into being the vampire that he'd been hatched to be.

The fact being so gave him the loveliest of companions did not hurt at all. It had been some time since he'd shared a bed with anyone at all and never at all had he shared a life with another. As for the bed, Piemon and Camula were so different that it did not compare at all, and not just for the differing shapes of their bodies.

Camula had mentioned that her people were a race of vampires that did not propagate merely by biting humans. He'd read enough human literature to know that creating new servants by biting was the common method of vampire reproduction, or at least that was what most humans believed. But the vampire race here could and had interbreed with one another _and_ with humans to create more of themselves.

He'd heard rumors many times in his long life about Digimon who could or had done the same, mating with humans to create strange half-breed creatures. Exactly how true those were he'd never been able to verify for himself and in due course it became something he ignored in favor of more important pursuits, such as finding ways of killing humans instead of creating more of them.

But now the idea of having offspring of some kind with Camula… it intrigued him more than he had yet to tell her. He didn't know if she were willing; just because she wanted to revive her race didn't yet mean she was ready to do it _now_ and with him. They would need to establish a stronghold, first of all, and staff it with whatever servants they could find who would be willing and eager to obey them.

And yet even before that, they would have to dispose of this remnant of Camula's previous life before they'd crossed paths, this Kagemaru who wished her services. Vamdemon stood to one side and watched as the two combatants stepped a distance away from one another. He'd seen the device Camula wore, and recalled she'd told him it was a duel disk. He'd seen the cards as well, but never had he seen them in action.

 _Duel Monsters._ Only a fool could've missed the advertisements for the game in this world but until now he'd dismissed it as just a game. Perhaps more popular than most, but not much beyond that. Now he thought he might have to revise his opinion on that.

Shadows wrapped around all three of them, dark and deep and obedient to the hand of the one who called himself Darkness. Vamdemon didn't like him, either. He'd dared to raise his hand against both of them and Vamdemon would not have that. If it weren't for Camula agreeing to this duel, he would have tested what the idiot tasted like.

He wasn't entirely ruling the concept out altogether, either. But first he wished to see what the fair lady fought like in the combat of this world.

He had never seen a duel before, but now he focused his attention on what they were doing. There was a sense of honor between them, that they would follow the rules of the game and of the agreement they had made with one another. With the shadows weaving around them, he began to gain the sense that if they didn't, there would be consequences to pay far worse than he could imagine for now.

Part of him began to wonder what those might be, if only to see if they would be worth it.

Each of the warriors had their own particular type of monster, with Camula's being undead creatures like herself and Darkness's being dragons, of all things. Vamdemon's lip curled at that. He had never liked dragons, even if these bore little resemblance to the ones that he knew. At least these were _dark_ dragons, reminding him in some fashion of Megidramon and Gigadramon.

No matter how many times Darkness struck down Camula's monsters, another one of them could rise again. Her defenses were strong and her attacks bit into him to great effect. But Darkness was no slouch at this either, raising mighty beasts to fight by his side as easily as a Chosen Child might evolve their partner from Child to Adult.

The disks they wore kept track of their life points and Vamdemon paid attention to that as the levels dropped. They were within a hair's breadth of one another, no one seeming to have a full advantage, not to his inexperienced eyes.

But even those inexperienced eyes realized Camula's triumph when one of her strongest monsters batted Darkness's dragon aside as if it were little more than fresh out of the egg and sank fangs and teeth into Darkness himself. The dark warrior screamed, a sound Vamdemon drank in as he would the finest of wine or blood, and fell to his knees, breathing in hard.

"I should make you one of my dolls," Camula said, holding one such between her fingers. "But I don't think that you're worthy of being one of them in the first place."

Darkness looked up, eyes full of a fury that Vamdemon had seen the twin of in Piemon's eyes many times before. "You get above yourself, vampire." His voice had a huskier, deeper quality to it that resonated to the darkness in Vamdemon's own soul. He thought that he might possibly like this creature, whatever he actually was. Assuming he learned to avoid Camula, or respect her wishes.

Camula laughed, closing up the duel disk, and turned back to Vamdemon. "That should be everything. Shall we go?"

Vamdemon began to speak, but before he could bring out the words, Darkness lurched to his feet and began to stumble for Camula, eyes blazing bright behind his mask. Vamdemon moved forward at top speed, knocking the defeated warrior back and grabbing him before he could fall too far.

"You need to learn a lesson," was all that the vampire said before he sank his fangs into Darkness's neck. He smelled at least somehow human and Vamdemon had already found the humans of this world tasty indeed.

From the first drops of blood on his tongue, he knew that he'd made a mistake. Fire seethed in this man's blood, but not normal fire, not at all. Along with the flames there was poison, thick and foul and aching to kill. Vamdemon spat out what he could, his own legs trembling and his eyes beginning to dim.

"Vamdemon?" Camula's arms wrapped around him, supporting him as he started to fall. "Vamdemon!"

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  & Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Night Walking  
 **Characters:** Camula, Vamdemon, Darkness, Taniya  
 **Romance:** Camula x Vamdemon/Vamdemon x Camula  
 **Word Count:** chapter 4: 1,281|| **Story:** 5,086  
 **Genre:** Romance, Supernatural **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section H39, write a what-if scenario (what if Vamdemon arrived in the world of GX after his defeat in 02 episode 50); Written for the Halloween Trick or Treat Advent, day #22, write a crossover with a halloween theme; Written for the Word Counts Set Boot Camp, prompt #31, 9,539; Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, prompt #27, forbidden love  
 **Notes:** This takes place on Halloween of 2003, one year prior to Juudai attending Duel Academia.  
 **Summary:** Halloween is a night for disguises, for pretending to be what you're not. Camula is no longer alone and doesn't want to pretend to be. But Kagemaru doesn't take resignations very well. In fact, he doesn't want to take hers at all.

* * *

Vampires didn't have a pulse, not like humans did. Camula could tell even without that Vamdemon needed help, and there was only one cure for anything that ailed a vampire. She didn't even look at Darkness, who was already recovering from the bite that laid Vamdemon low. She would deal with him later and he would be more hindrance than help right now.

But there were humans nearby, humans who were strong and full of blood and that was what Vamdemon needed. She laid her lover down as best that she could and hurried to the streets. If Darkness laid a finger on him while she was away, then she would see to it that whatever it was that infested that mortal host of his paid for it for all eternity.

Vampires were very good at eternity.

Her eyes darted this way and that, searching for the perfect meal. She did not have time to be _very_ choosy, but she had to pick someone who would be able to give the best blood possible. Possibly even their life's blood. She wouldn't take any chances.

There. Tall and well-built, with the confident aura of a duelist and the strength of a warrior. She couldn't see his face, but that wasn't necessary for what she needed. She made her way through the crowd until she caught up with him and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Excuse me," was all she had to say. He turned to look at her and in that unguarded moment, she wrapped the controls of her mind around his.

It was harder than she'd expected. He started to pull away and she tightened the controls at once. She never wanted her prey to slip away and now she wanted it less than ever. He struggled harder and she hissed, tightening the hold until he could not move at all.

 _I have no need to kill you, boy,_ she hissed into his mind, aware that none but he would hear her. _You will save someone's life by coming with me and being docile._

Camula did not wait to see if that would work, but started to pull him back to the alleyway anyway. Whether it was his own will or hers, he didn't protest anymore, but came along as if she had him on a leash.

Darkness hadn't moved much by the time she got there and looked more like he wanted to continue their previous argument than anything else. Vamdemon hadn't moved either, but he looked worse than before. Camula wasn't going to rule out needing more than one person for this to work out.

Until then, though, she had at least one good source. She shoved her captive over to Vamdemon, baring her own fangs. Vamdemon did not look as if he were ready to bite for himself just yet.

She made a quick bite, just enough to get the blood flowing, and angled the donor so it dripped into Vamdemon's half-open mouth. She really didn't want to kill the boy, at least not right now, so she refrained from tearing his throat out the way she might have if Darkness had suitable blood to give.

Of course, if he did, then they wouldn't have been in this predicament to begin with.

Several drops fell, and Vamdemon stirred a little. Awareness began to come back into his eyes and he reached up to seize hold of the donor, pulling him down so he could make his own bite and have more.

"Camula," Darkness tried to speak, but Camula paid him no mind at all. Her attention remained utterly on Vamdemon as he recovered himself, feeding well on the boy, who struggled only a little. Perhaps he was a natural blood-slave, one of those who thrilled to the idea of giving their blood to their vampire masters, or perhaps Vamdemon just had a hard grip on him.

Camula did not find it in herself to care which. Only Vamdemon recovering mattered.

Then Darkness's hand descended onto the boy's hair, yanking him back. The masked duelist stared into his face, then whipped his head around to glare at Camula.

"Of all the people in the world, you had to pick _him_?" He actually sounded offended. Camula hadn't known he could care about anyone who wasn't himself.

She kept the majority of her attention on Vamdemon, who was looking much better already, and starting to pay attention to what was going on around him as well.

"What is so special about this one? Humans are humans."

Darkness did not roll his eyes but there was a definite hint of anger that didn't entirely seem like _Darkness_ to her. "This one is under my protection."

"You didn't do a good job of it," Camula replied. She didn't give the boy a look. He breathed still; she could tell that, and he would likely recover in due time, if nothing else happened to him.

Darkness started toward her, but she halted him with a glance: not at him, but at the human boy. If he was that important to Darkness, she saw nothing at all wrong with using him as a tool to keep Darkness in line.

"Kagemaru will still want you," Darkness said at last. "You made an agreement with him."

Camula flexed her fingers. Apparently she would have to do more than get rid of Darkness to rid herself of Kagemaru's influence as well.

 _He wants someone strong enough to fight for the Sangenma. He wants someone who will be loyal to him and no other for the duration of the mission._

A small thought began to worm its way into her mind. She looked at the quasi-conscious boy again and found herself smiling. Yes. This just might work out into her favor after all.

"Tell him that I will be sending a replacement to him, in time for when he wishes the attack to begin. If he wants a vampire duelist that badly, then I'll make certain to supply him with one."

She reached out before Darkness could stop her and grabbed hold of the boy, pulling him close to her before extending her other hand to Vamdemon.

"Until then, do not even attempt to look for us, or matters might go very badly for your playmate here."

Neither she nor Vamdemon gave him another moment to recover himself before they transformed and faded away into the shadows. Camula suspected that Darkness could still track them, but if he put any sort of value on this human's life, then he would behave himself for the time being.

They had many lairs scattered about the world, or rather, Camula did, and she guided Vamdemon to one of them. It would do to give them a place to rest for now.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked as soon as they were there.

Camula smiled a very sweet, very dangerous smile. "If Kagemaru won't leave me alone until he has a vampire on his team, then I will give him one." She waved one hand toward the boy, collapsed against the wall, unaware of everything. "It will take some time to give him proper training, but I think that we can do it."

Vamdemon looked from him to her again and began to smile himself. "I've never attempted to change a human."

"Nor have I. But it can be done." She did not think of her family and some of the retainers they'd had in days gone by. "Once you've recovered completely, then we'll see to it." She wrapped one arm around him. "Come. We'll put him where he can rest, and then we'll get some of our own."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  & Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Night Walking  
 **Characters:** Camula, Vamdemon, Darkness, Taniya  
 **Romance:** Camula x Vamdemon/Vamdemon x Camula  
 **Word Count:** chapter 5: 1,248|| **Story:** 6,334  
 **Genre:** Romance, Supernatural **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section H39, write a what-if scenario (what if Vamdemon arrived in the world of GX after his defeat in 02 episode 50); Written for the Halloween Trick or Treat Advent, day #22, write a crossover with a halloween theme; Written for the Word Counts Set Boot Camp, prompt #31, 9,539; Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, prompt #27, forbidden love  
 **Notes:** This takes place on Halloween of 2003, one year prior to Juudai attending Duel Academia.  
 **Summary:** Halloween is a night for disguises, for pretending to be what you're not. Camula is no longer alone and doesn't want to pretend to be. But Kagemaru doesn't take resignations very well. In fact, he doesn't want to take hers at all.

* * *

Dressed all in black and as silent as the shadows themselves, he watched as the humans moved past on their own errands. He'd been one of them, once, he knew. He didn't remember it very well, but Camula-sama and Vamdemon-sama had both told him that it had happened, and he saw no reason to doubt them.

But now he fed on humans, draining their blood to support his own existence. Every night he chose one from somewhere in the world. Sometimes more than one.

Memory flickered, of the conversation he had every night before he left the lair.

"Why don't we kill humans?" Camula-sama asked, staring down at him.

He remained kneeling before her, as he did every night. He was only allowed to rise when given permission. "Because killing humans will bring us to their attention and we do not want them to know that we exist yet."

"When do we want them to know we exist?" Vamdemon-sama asked, the second question of every night.

"Only when there are enough of us to stand equal to them," he replied without hesitation. "Either through the race refounded by you and Camula-sama or by those turned to become one of us." Like him. Three vampires were not a strong vampire clan, but they were a beginning, at least.

Now the questions returned to Camula. "And because of this, what will you do?"

"I will feed only on a few humans per night, spreading my hunting around the world so no one makes any connections," he stated. "I will seek out any who are strong enough to become your servants and bring them to you once I know they meet all of your qualifications."

So far he hadn't actually encountered anyone like that. But he knew when he did, he would do as he'd said. What he had been did not matter a great deal to him. What he was now, the person that his masters had shaped him into, did.

Once they were reassured that he knew what to do, his masters let him wander around for his meals yet again. He'd only been allowed to do this for the last month or two. Before that, one or both of them traveled with him, teaching him how to hunt properly and how to use his powers to travel unseen.

Now he crouched on top of a building, watching the people move below, trying to find one of them who would suit his needs for the night. He didn't know the name of this place, nor did he care a great deal. They all meant the same thing to him anyway: a place where he could feed.

One day he would have ultimate freedom, he'd been promised. He would be able to go anywhere and to do as he pleased, so long as it furthered the greater cause of the vampire clan. He looked forward to that day. He chafed under restrictions, even the ones set in place by his masters, the ones who made certain that he hadn't died.

Reminiscing broke off as he caught sight of a particular person striding down the street. Her air of confidence and power tugged at his senses, as did her muscular build. There would be plenty of blood in there, and he anticipated tasting it.

He darted quickly over the tops of the buildings, checking now and then to make certain he stayed on track with her. Then he paused, eyes narrowing, a sudden spike of distrust lodging within him. She wasn't very far from an alleyway. That was good; he would be able to lure her in and take what he needed. But something in the set of her shoulders and the way her gaze flicked about warily told him to be cautious.

 _Perhaps I should pick someone else?_ It wasn't a bad thought. Someone less observant. Someone who didn't look quite as capable of tearing a human apart as she did.

But he wasn't a human and he could handle her. He dropped down to the alleyway, keeping to the shadows, and waited for her to get close enough to call in there.

He didn't have to. She calmly turned and walked in there, looking around a bit before staring right into where he stood.

"So you're the one," she said, as if she spied vampires lurking in dark alleyways every day of the week. She wore a hooded shirt, the hood pulled up over her head, which she now tugged downward.

If he'd seen her without this before, he wouldn't have thought she was human at all. Her eyes gleamed far too brilliant, with a hunter's grace to her movements and gleam to her gaze that set her above the common rabble on the streets. When she smiled, he could see fangs as well. They weren't a vampire's fangs, but those of a hidden beast, no matter what shape she wore now.

"Who are you?" He didn't move but he kept himself in readiness to move if need be. His masters hadn't instructed him on what to do in this kind of situation, so he had to deal with it himself.

"My name is Taniya. Is the name Camula familiar to you?"

He twitched for a moment. He'd never had a conversation with a meal before. So she couldn't be a meal, especially if she knew Camula-sama.

"Why do you ask?" He wanted to know the particulars before he made up his mind on just what to do.

"Because I know her. And I've been sent with a message for her." She looked him up and down thoughtfully. "Do you have a name?"

He lifted his head up high, returning the look with equal calm. He had hardly spoken his own name or heard it from his masters, but he knew what it was. They didn't _care_ about his name; he was just their servant, their mutual offspring, the first of their new clan besides the two of them. But he knew it even without that.

"Marufuji Ryou."

"Yes, that's what I was told. Darkness is very annoyed about what they did with you," Taniya said. Then she shrugged. "But I'm not here about the past. I want to see Camula, and the sooner the better."

Ryou considered that. Most of his thinking was taken care of by either Camula-sama or Vamdemon-sama's orders, so working out new things for himself was something he had little remembered experience with. Still, he somewhat recalled how to do it, and he nodded.

"I'll bring her to you." It wasn't allowed to bring anyone who wasn't going to become part of the clan to their lair of the moment and Ryou doubted that this Taniya would become one of them. She was far too much herself already.

He stepped into the shadows; the moment that he did, he could feel an extra awareness on him. It was one he'd noted before, but it had never been this strong. It wasn't either of his masters; he knew the way they felt when they watched him. It did spark thoughts against the name Taniya spoke, Darkness.

But he didn't let himself dwell on that. From the moment he'd opened his eyes, he'd existed to serve his masters and now that someone wished to speak to Camula-sama, it was his task to bring that word to her.

Even if he had no idea of what this Taniya could want from his mistress in the first place.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  & Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Night Walking  
 **Characters:** Camula, Vamdemon, Darkness, Ryou, Taniya  
 **Romance:** Camula x Vamdemon/Vamdemon x Camula  
 **Word Count:** chapter 6: 1,654|| **Story:** 7,988  
 **Genre:** Romance, Supernatural **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section H39, write a what-if scenario (what if Vamdemon arrived in the world of GX after his defeat in 02 episode 50); Written for the Halloween Trick or Treat Advent, day #22, write a crossover with a halloween theme; Written for the Word Counts Set Boot Camp, prompt #31, 9,539; Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, prompt #27, forbidden love  
 **Notes:** This takes place on Halloween of 2003, one year prior to Juudai attending Duel Academia.  
 **Summary:** Halloween is a night for disguises, for pretending to be what you're not. Camula is no longer alone and doesn't want to pretend to be. But Kagemaru doesn't take resignations very well. In fact, he doesn't want to take hers at all.

* * *

So far as Camula cared, she had everything that she'd ever wanted out of life with the single exception of having her entire family back. Though to be fair, she didn't really want her brother back. Aside from that, she had it all. She had a husband that she loved dearly, who loved her freely in return, and they had a quasi-son who learned very quickly how to be a vampire.

Better than that, he would soon take her place among the Seven Stars, so Kagemaru would stop bothering her about that. He hadn't sent any messengers recently, but she knew full well that he was waiting for word for her and if she didn't produce a replacement in proper time, then he would be even more put out.

Not that she actually cared about his feelings one way or the other, but she wanted her happy life to take actual root and with that hanging over her head, it was still a small drawback to her complete happiness.

So she wasn't really all that surprised when Ryou entered the room where she and Vamdemon lay in one another's arms, musing over if they should acquire another adopted offspring or not, and knelt down before his master and mistress.

"What is it?" There was no fresh smell of blood on him, so he hadn't fed recently. Since he'd gone out for that express purpose, that meant something was up.

He answered her at once. _Such_ an obedient child he was, at least since they blocked his memories of everything but how to be a vampire and how to be a duelist. "There is someone named Taniya who wishes to speak with you, Camula-sama."

Her eyes narrowed at once. Vamdemon caught the tenseness in her body and looked at her.

"Someone you know?"

"She's one of the Seven Stars," Camula reminded him. She'd told him of the ones that she knew and their abilities when they'd begun to set up their varied lairs. Each one had to be defended against those who might come looking for her. Traps and warding spells worked against Taniya and the Black Scorpions, while more sophisticated methods were used against Amnael and Darkness.

A simple locked door worked against Abidos.

She sat up more now and looked at Ryou. "Where is she?" Best to get this done as soon as possible now that it had come on them. Besides, Ryou lacked only a little more training to be the perfect replacement.

If she believed in gods of any kind, she would've thought him a godsend. Not only was he healthy enough for his human blood to have saved Vamdemon's life, but he took to being a vampire as if he'd been born to it, and far from needing to learn which end of a card was up, he was skilled enough to defeat _her_ in duel after duel. She suspected that if they'd fought in all seriousness, the only way that she could've defeated him would be to use some of her nastier tricks.

Not that she was opposed to them, but finding out how strong he was satisfied her so very much. If that was what it took for her to beat him, then whoever ended up charged to protect the Sangenma stood no chance at all.

Vamdemon caught her hand as she rose to her feet. "We'll go together," he told her, and she could not find it in herself to argue. It really only made sense. Taniya would not attack them; she held far too much honor for that. But Camula would not put it past Kagemaru to have either sent Darkness or some of his lesser minions to ambush them if they were even the slightest off their guard.

"Very well," she agreed, gesturing to Ryou to rise. "Take us there."

In mere moments the three of them stood in an alleyway in a distant city. Camula recognized it as one of those in the United States, but not which one in particular. That didn't surprise her; Ryou was under orders to avoid Japan until further notice. She didn't want anyone who had once known him to see him there. So far as the world knew or cared, Marufuji Ryou was dead and would stay that way.

Taniya stood just where Ryou had left her. As the three vampires stepped from the shadows, she turned toward them with a nod of greeting.

"Camula," she said, meeting the vampire queen eye to eye. "It's been a while."

"Kagemaru sent you, didn't he?" Camula asked, dispensing with any and all formalities. Taniya snorted a little.

"Unfortunately, yes. But I did want to congratulate you on achieving your goal." She indicated Vamdemon with a quick jerk of her head.

Camula could not help but smirk in pride at that. She tightened her grip on Vamdemon's arm and waved for the other to continue.

"You can guess what he wants: your replacement, or you returning." Taniya glanced toward Ryou, who remained on guard, watching for the slightest hint of treachery or ambush. "That is him, I presume?"

"Yes." Camula gestured Ryou forward. "Marufuji Ryou. I think a better name for him would be 'Hell Kaiser', though." Pride wrapped firmly around her words. "He was known as the Kaiser before, but now he's risen from Hell, as one of us." Or as close as any human could become.

Taniya looked him up and down again. "How is he as a duelist?" Of course she would want to know about that.

"There are few who are better," Camula told her, her pride growing stronger. "If he can't take the Sangenma for Kagemaru, then there's no one who can."

Ryou remained silent; he would need a few more lessons before she sent him off, but other than that, he knew all that she needed him to know. Such a _good_ boy.

"When will you be sending him?"

Camula considered, glancing at Vamdemon. This was something they'd best settle between themselves.

"Another month or two. I'm sure Kagemaru wants to test his skills for himself." And that would best be done with plenty of time to spare, instead of at the last moment.

Taniya nodded. "I'll let him know." She gave the new vampire another look, and Camula frowned at her.

"He's not for you." She doubted that Ryou was actually Taniya's type at all, even before he'd become undead, and she didn't want the tigress to get any ideas even now.

Taniya sniffed. "Of course not. But I wouldn't mind dueling him myself."

Camula considered that before letting a slow smile slide across her features. "I think that can be arranged." It would definitely go a long way toward proving how skilled Ryou was and that would keep Kagemaru much quieter. And _that_ pleased Camula great deal.

* * *

Vamdemon understood more about dueling and the place that it had in this world much more now than he had when he'd first witnessed the duel between Camula and Darkness. He'd watched many training sessions, not just between Camula and Ryou, but Ryou and other duelists that Camula made arrangements for. Not only did Ryou win consistently, but he did it with a style that few people had.

They'd both sampled his mind before determining it best to wipe his memories of all save being their vampire offspring and how to duel. The memories of being 'the perfect duelist' and 'the Kaiser' could cause too much trouble, especially once he went to work for this Kagemaru.

There was still a chance that the memories would resurface, but that would be someone else's problem.

Vamdemon had long since decided that if somehow Ryou gained access to the Digital World, not only would he be a Chosen Child, but he'd be one of those annoying ones who gained a powerful Digimon. He might not be a leader, but he would shine high in their ranks. He'd spent a few idle hours musing on what sort of partner the boy might have, and decided that it was most likely one of the lupine types. It would not be that surprising to see him riding through the Digital World on a Garurumon.

All things considered, Vamdemon didn't miss the Digital World very much. He'd found that he didn't have quite the access to his old powers that he had before, such as his Bloody Stream, but he still held far greater strength, speed, and reflexes than any human could possibly have had, held all the powers that a vampire _should_ have, and still needed to drink blood on a regular basis.

In point of fact, he thought he was about as close to being a vampire of this world, and no longer a Digimon, as he could possibly become. He'd decided that didn't bother him. He had no Chosen Children to fight here and if anyone did try to attack them, they would likely attempt to duel them. Camula would be able to deal with them on that level.

Or he'd just bite them and be done with it himself. Most people didn't seem to wrap their minds around someone doing something that _wasn't_ dueling. What a strange world.

But one he was growing quickly to love, especially as he and Camula settled in to watch their quasi-son dueling against Taniya. He knew right away that she wasn't human, though he didn't know what she was. There was a strong hint of beast there, and the gauntlet she wore reeked of shapechanging magic. Camula had mentioned that she came from another world, though their worlds didn't seem like the Digital World and Earth as he knew them.

Vamdemon made his mind up to look into this whenever he had a chance. If there was a world where he and Camula could reign supreme, with no chance of humans putting a stake through their hearts, then he wanted to live there.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  & Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Night Walking  
 **Characters:** Camula, Vamdemon, Taniya, Ryou  
 **Romance:** Camula x Vamdemon/Vamdemon x Camula  
 **Word Count:** chapter 7: 1,551|| **Story:** 9,539  
 **Genre:** Romance, Supernatural **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section H39, write a what-if scenario (what if Vamdemon arrived in the world of GX after his defeat in 02 episode 50); Written for the Halloween Trick or Treat Advent, day #22, write a crossover with a halloween theme; Written for the Word Counts Set Boot Camp, prompt #31, 9,539; Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, prompt #27, forbidden love  
 **Notes:** This takes place on Halloween of 2003, one year prior to Juudai attending Duel Academia.  
 **Summary:** Halloween is a night for disguises, for pretending to be what you're not. Camula is no longer alone and doesn't want to pretend to be. But Kagemaru doesn't take resignations very well. In fact, he doesn't want to take hers at all.

* * *

Camula knew very well how Taniya dueled and she'd fought against Ryou enough times to get a feel for him as well. She had no doubts about who would win this match.

It went much like she expected as well. Taniya did bite deeply into her quasi-son's life points, but Ryou's slices into hers cut deeper and with far more strength. He still used the same deck that he had before; this was the deck that reflected his soul, even now, and that would give him the best advantage in the fighting to come.

Soon enough, the last of Taniya's life points faded away and Ryou stepped back, features impassive and waiting for further instructions. Camula gestured him to the side and moved forward.

"Do you think he's suitable?" She knew what the answer would be. How could it be anything else?

Taniya brushed herself off, a small smile hovering on her lips. "If he weren't to be my ally, then I would consider him an opponent. And if he had a pulse."

Ryou's own lips twitched, but not in amusement. Camula ignored it; her progeny did not mate with others. He'd never shown an interest in anyone, nor did she think that he would.

"You'll have to seek a mate among those who guard the keys," Camula reminded her. "But do you think Kagemaru will accept him?"

Taniya nodded, tucking her deck back into its holder. "If he doesn't, he's an idiot. I'll let him know."

"Very well, then," Camula nodded herself. "We'll send him when the time is right."

"Until then." Taniya bid farewell, heading out of sight. Camula watched until she was gone, then turned to Ryou and Vamdemon.

"Go out and feed," she instructed Ryou. "Make certain you're not seen. You know all the rules."

Ryou nodded at once and hurried into the shadows. Vamdemon stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Camula.

"Now you have no one who will pester you," he murmured, leaning closer to her. "We can spend our lives doing something far more important."

Camula wrapped her own arms around him and breathed in the strong scent that made him what he was. It had been so long since she'd known another vampire of any kind, not since the death of her family. While Vamdemon wasn't quite like what she'd lost, he was close enough for her.

And close enough for something else, she thought, pressing her not-quite-as-flat stomach against him. She hadn't yet told him, but she knew he would be thrilled to know. A new vampire in the world, their people restarted. A little more so than with Ryou, someone who would be a vampire from the first breath that they breathed.

"I can hardly wait," she murmured. "We should return to my people's home at some point. It will be a good place to raise children."

Vamdemon tilted his head so he could look at her and she looked up to catch his eyes with her own. She nodded at the unspoken question and his arms tightened around her even more.

"How long?"

"Only two or three months. Still most of the year to go." There weren't many points of similarity between humans and vampires, but the length of gestation was one of the few.

Vamdemon kept his arms around her, breathing in her lovely vampire's scent. He had never known what it was to sire a child before, so far as she recalled from the tales he'd told her of his world. No one even knew if Digimon could become parents. It hadn't ever been tried.

But now he _would_ be a father and she looked forward to the moment when she could set their child in his arms. They would need help, she knew. Even a vampire would need certain things at this time in her life.

Once Ryou was no longer involved with Kagemaru, then he could find the ones she would need, she reassured herself. He could move among humans with more ease than either of them, and she knew the books in her father's castle were intact and would give the information necessary.

Her family grew stronger with every moment and Camula anticipated the time when once again, vampires were as strong as they once had been.

* * *

Vamdemon brushed his fingers through Camula's hair. The idea of being a father wormed itself into his heart, sparking emotions that he'd never thought that he'd had before. Camula herself had done that, just by existing. He'd never dreamed of finding his partner, his mate, in this strange world. And that was exactly what he'd done.

Having Ryou as a quasi-son had its own special qualities as well. He'd never turned a human before and now that he knew that he could, he would keep it in mind for the future. A new vampire would have to be chosen carefully before being turned, of course. To restart Camula's race would require only the best.

Camula kept close to him, the two of them curling into one another, resting. They would need to feed before much longer, and he wanted to make certain that Camula had the very finest of blood donors provided. He considered going out to find one, but he didn't want to leave the warmth of her embrace just yet.

* * *

Kagemaru still didn't like the idea of giving up Camula as part of the Seven Stars, but after the last handful of months, he knew that there wasn't any way that he would get her back. Not when she had a mate who was as much of a vampire as she was.

 _Who dared to bring him here, anyway?_ If it could've been done without Camula knowing of his involvement, he would've had someone stake this Vamdemon and be done with it. From what Darkness said, he would gladly have agreed. The dark duelist hadn't been happy at all since he'd returned to tell Kagemaru of what happened that fateful Halloween night.

As much as he disliked it, he would have to deal with matters as they were, not with how he wanted them. And in all truth, he didn't need Camula as much as he needed a powerful duelist, and Marufuji Ryou was one of the most powerful duelists in the entire world, even at his young age.

 _He'll do,_ Kagemaru made up his mind. He would still want to watch a few of the boy's duels, just to get an idea of what to do with him, but that would be no problem to arrange.

He also needed to recruit the last of the Seven Stars. He'd located a sixth while waiting to hear from Camula, and he thought this group of duel spirits, the Black Scorpions, would do well enough. They weren't as powerful as Darkness or Taniya, but they would accomplish the task.

There still remained several months until the time to attack would come. He would have the time he needed. He would keep his attention on Duel Academia. That would be the best place to find a new dark duelist.

* * *

Samejima regretted what had happened with all of his heart. He'd sent Marufuji Ryou out on what should've been a quickly done errand. He would've gone himself, but he'd needed to deal with certain problems at the same time, and the errand was vital. It wasn't even the first time that Ryou agreed to do errands for him.

But then the word came: Ryou had not returned to the hotel room when he should have. Days and nights crept by and turned into weeks, then months.

The last place anyone found any traces of him was in an alleyway, and the trace, only a few drops of blood, identified as being his type. A few fingerprints were also found that solidified that the blood was also his, and there were others there as well, from two different people.

But nothing else. No way to track where he might've been taken and nowhere to even show how he might've been. All of which added up to one thing to Samejima: dark duelists were involved.

 _Will he be one of the Seven Stars? Could they find a way to tempt him?_ It was not something he wanted to believe. Soon he would find out, though. He hoped. And he hoped that he was wrong.

He'd told Ryou's parents and brother what they knew. How could he do anything else? Young Marufuji Shou had immediately begun to make plans to attend Duel Academia himself, though he'd missed out on attending the junior high. He would have to take the entrance exam and possibly end up in Osiris Red.

All three of them gone now. Samejima sighed. The three students he'd had such hopes for, vanished: Fujiwara Yuusuke, Tenjoin Fubuki, and Marufuji Ryou. He had no idea when or if they'd return.

He could not take this much longer. He wanted to retire, to give someone who had better chances of not losing all of his students a chance. But he knew that the Seven Stars were coming. If not this year, then the next one. He would continue through that. Once it was settled, then… then he would see.

* * *

Darkness watched Hell Kaiser. Darkness knew what was coming.

Darkness would have his revenge.

 **The End**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the story. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


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